New directive classifying yaba abusers goes into effect
Anybody caught with one amphetamine pill or 20mg of “ice” will be considered an abuser and be made to undergo rehab
A new Public Ministry Directive setting the classification of drug abuser to one amphetamine pill went into effect on Tuesday, the ministry’s spokesperson said.
Spokesperson Trichada Sritada said the directive was published in the Royal Gazette on Monday and went into effect the following day.
The new directive, signed by Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin, allows law enforcers to presume that anyone caught with one pill of yaba or amphetamine, or no more than 100 milligrams of the drug in possession is an abuser.
When caught, the detainee will be eligible to enter a rehab programme but must do so voluntarily, she said.
This directive replaces the previous one signed by former public health minister Cholnan Srikaew, which only marked people with five amphetamine pills as drug abusers. This directive came under much criticism, with many saying that this five-pill limit allowed drug pushers to disguise themselves as abusers and avoid legal prosecution.
Trichada said the new regulation has also set the amount of “ice” or methamphetamine to no more than 20 milligrams to classify owners as drug abusers.
She added that this directive aims to show that the government is serious about controlling both drug pushers and big drug trafficking gangs.
“I want to remind small-time drug pushers and big traffickers of yaba and ice that this government is serious about suppressing and wiping out drugs from Thai society,” she said.
